The Scrambled Egg - a blog every sales professional should wake up to.

People love email templates. Free email templates are one of the most frequently downloaded offers from the HubSpot content library,  as well as my website, Sell Inbound.  I assume the people that download these offers are using them in a sales or marketing capacity.

There are a lot of people making personal connections online.  There are 54 million single adults in the U.S. and 40 million have tried online dating. There have been 40 million people in dire need of a great email template; something that catches attention and gets a welcoming response.

Sales prospecting and online dating are very similar in nature. Typically, you are sending a somewhat random message to an individual who is being inundated by similar messages.  Not the best position to be in. So that leads me to wonder...is there a universally successful approach?

Let’s take both of the interactions out of the framework society creates.  In both situations a human is approaching a human and asking for something. How do humans like to be approached?

• People love to feel special

• People love to talk about themselves

• People like to be in a position to choose

• People like to understand expectations upfront

Regardless of context, fresh introductions should take interaction down to a human level in order to build the best connections. The following framework should be used when sending an outreach email for the purpose of getting a new sales appointment, or a personal appointment.

Notice Something Relevant

People publish information about themselves, and chances are others have published valuable information as well. If you have a sales prospect on your hands, a LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google search should suffice. Also check out their company’s website and blog.  

If you are on the quest for companionship, someone of the opposite sex who is serious about meeting someone will give you all of the ammunition you need.

Be Interested - Ask Questions

Take time to put yourself in this person’s shoes. Be genuine and inquisitive. Ask questions that allow someone to elaborate about the things they are clearly interested in. On an initial outreach, one or two questions will suffice. Don’t make responding appear to be time consuming or difficult.

Wrap in Your Value

This is one sentence that says something about you as a person or explains why you are interested. In a dating sense, it should shed light on you as a person and a potential shared interest. For a sales prospect, it might describe your professional areas of expertise and a brief introduction to why you are reaching out.

Close for What You Want

People seem to have a bit of a sixth sense when it comes to outreach. Don’t disguise your intentions. In a sales situation, a typical ask is for 10 minutes on the phone to determine if further conversation could be mutually beneficial. In the dating game, I would recommend not closing on the first outreach, your goal should be to earn a conversation. Close in a later exchange after rapport and mutual interest has been shared.

Explore the benefits of taking time to be genuine in all of your interactions. By doing so you will not only create more opportunities, but you will build relationships that surpass your initial expectations.

Thanks Mike Pici for the blog article!

Liking these tips? Follow @KADScrambledEgg on Twitter for wisdom on #sales and #salesmanagement.

Many of us have been trained for years in sales that calling to the top is the right approach. I’d argue this tactic is now out dated and as sales people we need to change with the times. 

C-level execs have become skilled at blocking out unsolicited calls and emails. They have spam filters, caller IDs and gatekeepers to keep unwanted solicitations out. C-levels also have influencers which they will delegate projects to when they need something researched. Those influencers now have an abundance of information available to them when they want to look. For example, they have Google and their social networks to do their due diligence. C-level prospects are no longer finding out about tools and solutions by a cold call. This is why having an inbound marketing strategy is imperative to any company needing to generate leads.

This is not to say inbound marketing is the only way to penetrate a new account. If a rep is cold calling, it’s still best to call the C-suite and the next level below, essentially the influencer. The influencer below tends to have more flexibility with their calendar than the C-level and can make time for sales calls. If you can get the influencer bought-in they can more easily access and book the C-suites calendar than you can.

I’ve actually tested this theory. At my company, we deal exclusively with inbound leads. Most of frequently these leads originate from some type of whitepaper download or webinar registration. I took one rep, Alexndra Curtiss, as the experimental group. Every lead delivered to her, she didn’t call the influencer. Instead she called right to the C-suite.  In this instance, we know the company is looking to solve some type of pain (it’s an inbound lead so they found us by design when they were looking). We figured since the company was looking, we’d have a good connect and close rate with the c-suite. The control group was the rest of the team who continued to call the influencers who download content.

The results were dramatic. After just 3 weeks and about 100 leads we had to shut the experiment down. The experimental rep had set 1 appointment and nothing in her pipeline. The control group averaged about 18 appointments in the same time frame. While our sales cycle is about 60-90 long, longer than the experiment ran, we tracked to see if any revenue closed. Alexandra won 0 deals by calling exclusively to the top. Some could argue the rep and her sales technique may have played a factor. This could be true, however once back to calling the influencer she finished the next two months over 200%.

One thing we’ve found effective with inbound leads is to ask the following question, “Who asked you to gather information?” The ones who answer their boss, the CEO, the president, etc. are worth your time. If they say they are just looking, be suspicious but also be prepared they might not trust you enough to disclose details. If after several conversations you determine this is truly someone that is a tire kicker, move on.

I’m not arguing one should ignore the C-suite all together. Instead, realize an influencer is now a massive contributor to getting a deal closed. Here are the steps you should take to update how you work the C-suite and influencer in tandem.

1) Call the C-suite first.

2) Then the influencer. Tell the influencer “Oh coincidently enough, I just reached out to _____ this morning”.  Since you’ve already reached out to the C-suite, the influencer can’t play gatekeeper.

3) Work with the influencer through the sales process.

4) Update the C-suite on each step of the sales process regardless if you do or do not receive a response. This builds a relationship with them even if you’re not able to connect directly. You can do this through voicemails and emails.

5) Compliment the influencer in each update to the C-level. This avoids the influencer being upset or feeling you’ve gone around them.

6) By the time the influencer brings you to the C-suite, the exec should be well aware of you.

7) If the deal is to stall, gets side tracked, etc. it won’t be the first time you reach out to the C-suite.

Regardless of what you’ve been told about calling to the top, the technique is old. You can still sell by calling to the c-suite however you’ll need an unsustainable amount of leads to do so. Learn to work with influencers. Learn their job role, make them your partner in crime and turn them into champions. This is the most effective way to increase your closing percentage. 

Liking these tips? Follow @KADScrambledEgg on Twitter for wisdom on #sales and #salesmanagement.

My first job out of college was designing and selling complex, customized physical security systems. My second job was selling technology research and consulting services to IT executives.  What did these two roles have in common? In both I started out with zero knowledge of the subject matter. First it was fire safety code, control panels, and motion detectors followed by super techies listing technology priorities that I had never heard of before. While this lack of understanding could have hindered my pipeline in a major way, it instead forced the integration of what I consider a key play in a strong sales process – leveraging your internal resources.

Out of necessity, I quickly learned that while I sometimes had no clue what my prospects were talking about, there were a ton of smart people around me who did. Experience taught me that if I knew just enough to play Quarterback, I could match my prospect's needs with a resource that could not only help but could make a genuine connection and deliver true business value. The same positive results came when I would loop in my sales leadership and even the executive team. Putting my ego aside, I happily stood by and watched as my internal resources cinched a deal right up for me.

The moral of the story? Ask for help early and often and your bank account will thank you. Use every single tool you have at your disposal to get your deal done:

• Everyone loves to help sales people sell. Bringing in leadership, technical resources, or prospect peer roles within your own organization make your prospect feel like a VIP.
• Use executive connections as a carrot to be traded for a meeting with one of their executives if you are stuck at the influencer level.  
• Leverage internal resources to increase the velocity of the negotiation process while you get to stay good cop.
• Differentiate yourself from the competition; they likely are not creating custom evaluation processes on your customer’s behalf.
• Keep the conversation at the business value level. It is very difficult to get stuck in the weeds on a call when they are talking to an executive.

Pulling in resources is also a fantastic way to gain exposure for yourself at your own company. It is essential to prepare the asset you are leveraging thoroughly so that they are comfortable with the role you would like them to play and value they need to deliver. If you do your diligence and the necessary legwork to make sure the connection is a successful call, you will build your own brand awareness quickly.

Thanks Alexandra Curtiss for the post!

Liking these tips? Follow @KADScrambledEgg on Twitter for wisdom on #sales and #salesmanagement.

“When’s the deal coming in?” We’ve all had the manager who has asked the question. This question is ok, not great, and dangerous when this is the only inquiry a manager is asking. A sales manager’s job is to keep the reps accountable for their pipeline, but the other role responsibilities are to be a coach for the players on the team. 

A sales manager should be on the frontlines, meaning they should be on the phone or on face to face meetings with their reps 50% of the time. Working in tandem with your reps gives a sales manager more bang for the buck, essentially 1+1=3. 

1) Freshness – being on the phone or going to face to face meetings with my reps keeps me, as the manager, up-to-date as to what’s current in the market place.

2) Scalability – understanding what’s current in the market helps me guide the rest of the reps with the most up-to-date techniques and sound bites.

3) Trust – if my suggestions and coaching are fresh and can help my reps with current challenges, they trust me and my guidance. If I were to give them advice on outdated information they wouldn’t trust me to steer them away from obstacles. Working in tandem and seeing my direction first hand they will trust I’m working for their best interest.

4) More Is Better – two sets of ears are better than one. Having a rep paired with a manager tends to pick up more details that might have otherwise been missed.

5) Accountability – when I’m participating with my reps they are accountable to implement my suggestions. As their manager, I’m accountable for helping them avoid obstacles and closing deals.

6) Real time coaching – there are many techniques for coaching reps, including call recordings or pipeline reviews, however nothing is more impactful than immediate feedback. If a rep is given feedback or advice a week or even several days after the incident, the momentum can be lost.

7) Pipeline – by participating with my reps on the frontline, I have a better sense of the teams’ pipeline. I’m in the deals with them and know the intricate details of each one. This is much more effective than asking “when is the deal coming in?”

8) Close More Deals – working with my reps on their deals, simply closes more business. I have more experience than most of my reps and can teach them how to bring a deal across the finish line.

9) Share Best Practices– I’ve hired smart reps and they come up with savvy things on a daily basis. Anytime I hear a new technique or sound bite (which happens frequently), I can be assured it’s shared amongst the team as I’ll be the one sharing.

10) Recognition – many reps enjoy the spot light hence using charts and metrics to motivate them. They also enjoy being recognized amongst their team for coming up with new ideas. In addition, this fosters others to want to be recognized for their new ideas as well.

11) Multitasking – read the list above. As a manager, I don’t have a lot of time, but look at all the things I can do while on the frontlines. If I tried to do all these things separately it would take way too long. Why not kill two birds with one stone?

Being on the phones or in face to face meetings with my reps foster many positives, let me warn 50% is a well calculated percentage. If you spend too much time with your reps, you can inadvertently squash their independence and make them paralyzed. Any more than 50% of my time on the frontlines and there wouldn’t be time for the other parts of the job role. Remember it can be intimidating for a rep to get their boss on a call. Be very cognoscente of this and ask the rep to guide you as to what role they want you to play. A sales manager should perceive themself as “the coach” and not “the boss”. Happy coaching….

Liking these tips? Follow @KADScrambledEgg on Twitter for wisdom on #sales and #salesmanagement.

After interviewing countless numbers of sales people I’ve heard some answers and seen behaviors I now consider pet peeves. I call them this because I’ve heard and seen them so many times they’ve become generic and annoying. Repetition can make anyone cringe; I believe this is the entire premise of Chinese water torture.

If you want to stand out in an interview please avoid these bland answers and basic mistakes below. If you’re currently doing any of the below realize you are fading into the crowd or actually standing out only because you’ve been the 10^th person that day to do or say the same thing.

1) Claiming You’re Number 1. Every rep talks about how they are the top rep at their current company. Please don’t tell me this, show me. I want to see awards, achievers trips etc. Only if you are the actually the Number 1 rep. If you are not the top rep, it’s ok to be 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, etc. I prefer honesty (see number 6). It will also help to clarify if your rank in relation to how many other reps.  If you’re 3^rd among 100 reps this is just as impressive as the Number 1 rep of 10 people.

2) “Building Relationships”. Please don’t say this in an interview as every rep feels as though this is part of their special sauce. You should have good people skills; this is a perquisite for the career. That’s like saying you have typing skills. Instead, tell me what you’ve done differently than all the other people interviewing for the job.  Think of examples when you did something really creative to get into an account or close a deal. “Developing Relationships” will also make my eyes roll.

3) No Notebook. If a rep shows up without a note book, it’s a clear indication of how detail orientated they are. It also shows me you fly by the seat of your pants. While this might work at your current position, any new job will require training and a learning curve. The interview is the first part of that process. If you’re not taking notes now, you probably won’t take training seriously and you’ll be a heavy tax to ramp up and train.

4) Generic Questions. Candidates who ask basic questions and aren’t really inquisitive indicates you’re looking for any old position. It could also indicate you’re desperate because if you had a lot of job options you’d really be trying to figure out which of them is best for you. Instead of the generic questions, get really curious about the job and ask those questions. Not in regards to compensation or culture, but more so about who is their top rep, what are they doing differently, etc.

5) Close-ended Questions: I’m paying attention to the content of your questions but I’m also paying attention to the format. If you ask close ended questions in your interview, this is a habit and you’ll do this during the sale. Open ended questions are Sales 101. The interview is no different.

6) BS. I purposely question a rep relentlessly until I get to the raw unscripted answers, the area where there is no way you could prepare for. I want to make sure you don’t feed me BS. I like if you’re quick on your feet and I also like a rep that will answer “I don’t know”. If I sense BS, then it’s not a fit. As a manager I won’t have time to clean up the messes you make in a sale.

7) Motor Mouth. If you talk the entire interview and you’re so long winded I can’t get my questions in, your prospects will feel the same way. Stop talking.

An interview can be nerve racking, but remember this is also your opportunity to find out if the company is a good fit for you as well. Think of you interviewing the company. This will help take the nerves away and allow you to be quick on your feet and get curious. 

Liking these tips? Follow @KADScrambledEgg on Twitter for wisdom on #sales and #salesmanagement.

As a manager of one of the fastest growing companies in Boston, I’ve hired and trained many new employees. Hyper growth can create unique challenges and one of them is ramping new sale reps to quick independence. This is extremely important as I have new hires coming in faster than I can train the ones hired the month previous. While this technique is efficient for a fast growing company, it's also helpful for managers at any company.

One of the techniques I’ve found effective is giving new reps a quota of mistakes. Yes, they actually get a quota of mistakes they need to make and I keep track on a white board close to their desk.  The first month they start the quota is high and each subsequent month the quota gets lower and lower. 

Here is why:

Faster Independence: We all make mistakes when we’re new; this is part of the learning curve. If mistakes are not encouraged to be made a new hire can feel they should hide them or cover them up. Embrace mistakes as they are great learning opportunity. By giving a new rep a quota of mistakes which starts higher, it encourages them to make blunders and to make them soon. This is important as most companies have a ramp up revenue quota that starts low. If a rep can make a lot of mistakes early, it’s more efficient as they learn it while their actual dollar quota is lower. The sooner they learn from these, the faster they’ll be independent.

Trust: Acknowledging the rep is new and allowing them to make mistakes builds trust between the new rep and their manager. The new rep will not feel the need to hide mistakes or cover them up. 

Shameless Transparency: The quota of mistakes is not shameful, it’s a given. Keeping track on a whiteboard and making it an expectation allows the new hire to feel a burden and stress lifted and they can embrace the learning curve.

Team Effort: Each rep hired and trained have all had a quota of mistakes. The existing reps want to help the new hire make their quota. They will point out where the new hire made a hiccup and add it to the white board. The existing hires will also tell the new hire how to avoid the pot hole next time.  

Scale: There is only one of me and more new hires than I can train on my own. Making errors public, encouraged and expected enables my team to coach the new hire. 

Coach: The new hire is now trusts the manager and is more likely to disclose the mistakes they’ve made. Now you’ll be aware of the error and this is the opportunity to coach them on how to better handle a situation going forward.

Perpetuity: A quota of mistakes is the gift that keeps on giving. It allows a coaching relationship to grow from the very beginning between a manager and rep. This information allows the manager to know how the rep learns, how they react and how they want to be coached. A manager can now utilize this information for the entire relationship and to continue fostering the reps success even when they have tenure.

Embrace failure in your professional career as it’s one of your greatest assets. Knowledge is power and it can only be gained by learning from your past. Then use it to continue to growing. So go out there and make a hell of a lot of mistakes. Write them down, ask your colleagues and manager how they’ve handled the situation and don’t make them again. Improve just a little bit each day. 

Liking these tips? Follow @KADScrambledEgg on Twitter for wisdom on #sales and #salesmanagement.

Some may think it’s best to ask a prospect, "What's your decision making process?" I’d argue this is opening a can of worms. I’ve found it is not a best practice to ask questions about their process when evaluating your products and services. When asking for such details you can inadvertently cause more problems and delay in deals closing. There are more effective ways to find what you need. 

Here are some of the problems you’ll face:

1) Asking the prospect what the decision making process for your product and services allows them to dodge the question. In other words, they know you’re asking because you want to know what it takes to get your product or service purchased. If they’re not 100% sold on buying what you’re selling, then they have the opportunity to add steps to buy time and/or be deceptive.

2) Sometimes the prospect doesn’t know, however they won’t disclose their lack of knowledge. Instead they will make up the process they think will happen and then they will carry this out. Since they don’t really know, they might unintentionally add more steps and more people in the sale who are not necessary.

I’m not suggesting you shouldn’t find out the decision making process. I’m saying by asking the particular question, “what’s the decision making process” is actually putting you at a disadvantaged.  Here are some alternatives:

1) Instead of asking about the process for getting your product or service approved, instead ask about something they’ve already purchased. Here are the questions you can ask in sequential order.

“What was the last product/service you were a part of bringing on board?”

“How quickly did you know you wanted it?”

“How much did you spend on ______ (insert name of product/service)?”

“Who else was part of purchasing _______?”

The prospect has now told you if they’ve been a part of a purchase before, how quickly they make decisions, how much money they’ve spent in previous purchases and who else makes decision with them.

By asking about something else other than your product and service will yield a more transparent answer. In doing so you’ll get the facts regardless of their decision or lack of decision to purchase your product and service. The prospect might not be aware they’re revealing information about the process in which will be needed for you. 

2) Another best practice is to tell the prospect the process, don’t ask. If you tell them the process, they will either have to agree to it or correct you. If they correct you, it means they know the process. If they don’t know the process, telling them leaves no room for them to add unnecessary steps and/or people.

Before you tell prospects what their process is, you should know it yourself. In order to do so, go through all your closed deals and look for similarities. For example, what job titles are always involved in the decision? If you find the CEO is always in some way involved in the DM process, then that’s who tell them you need. Tell the prospect you’ve been doing this a long time and you know every time a customer has purchased, the CEO has been involved. Only ask for 20-30 minutes of the CEOs time initially as it’s less intimidating for an influencer and more likely to get from a busy CEO. You may get some push back; remind them this is not how it’s usually done. This makes them feel like the exception to the rule and usually makes them rethink.

While you still need to know the decision making process, there are more strategic and methodical was of getting the information you need. The suggestions above can also be the shortest point from A to B. Asking the decision making process has good intentions however it doesn’t mean it’s efficient or effective.

Liking these tips? Follow @KADScrambledEgg on Twitter for wisdom on #sales and #salesmanagement.

Sometimes people ask me “how I do what I do” in sales. It’s simple. I’m confident and passionate about what I have to offer, and I only try to sell to people that I know can/will actually buy the product.

I do think it is important to be passionate about something. Your job, your hobbies, anything really, as long as it’s something that you care about. I happen to be passionate about sales, as well as the company that I work for, and it tends to shine through on every call. Most of the time it is a good thing. I have a tendency to want people to understand why what I have to offer is so valuable, and to get them just as excited as I am about it. This can help tremendously in the sales process in terms of swift movement in purchasing, or selling internally. Sometimes however, it’s not. In the past, I would give my heart and my soul to each presentation without quite realizing if they were worth the price of the show. I’ve found, not surprisingly, that it is just as important to disqualify someone as to qualify them.

Here are some of the things I came across:

Happy Ears: Even if the prospect/s seem interested and seem to be saying yes, if their answers don’t equate a real business need or pain, it is SO much better to move on right there and then than to have “happy ears” and try to sell something to them they don’t need, but think they “might”. They will only end up being unhappy, which in the long run can make you very unhappy. Instead, use a series of pointed questions to sniff out the B.S. and figure out if they are a serious buyer. Don’t be afraid to ask the tough ones like timing and budget either. They are always the most telling.

A Mean Prospect:  Don’t ever let a prospect push you around. I refuse to deal with anyone who doesn't treat me with respect. Your time is just as valuable as theirs (regardless of their title or position), so if they start giving you a hard time or answering your questions with only one word, you should end the call immediately. Every call should be viewed as business conversation with both parties on an even playing field trying to figure out a solution. Plus, even if they do end up buying, who wants to work with a jerk?

Potential Unique Business Fit: Learn your product inside and out so that you can see all of the areas for potential alignment. I’ve found that you should develop a plan that is unique to each prospect, that can help them solve their particular need, vs. a more blanketed approach where you just talk about YOUR product and not how it benefits them specifically. Sometimes you can solve for a little thing that is driving them crazy, and you may not think to address it if you don't know everything you offer.

Wrong Contact: Speaking to the wrong person can lead to a lot of time wasted. As mentioned in this blog previously, a lot of prospects will tell you that they are the decision maker when in reality they have no authority whatsoever and are just educating themselves. Others only have the ability to say no, and are not the ones to sign. Find out if everyone at the company is on board with them looking into this. If so, make sure their buying process is crystal clear so you can get the right players involved.

At the end of the day, this is all about selling as much as you can in as little time as possible. Qualify, qualify, qualify. Also, don’t get too concerned with losses, sales is ebb and flow. Have the confidence to keep on moving until you find the next good fit. It’s so much better to find someone new to sell to who is actually interested and has a need, than to just keep wasting your time on non-buyers or hammering old opportunities that don’t have much likelihood to buy.

Liking these tips? Follow @KADScrambledEgg on Twitter for wisdom on #sales and #salesmanagement.

First things first, this is not an objection handling exercise. This is not a technique to bring a deal back from the dead. Nor is this a suggestion to ask a lost deal for referrals. If a sales person has lost a deal they should accept the news and handle it with grace and dignity by thanking the prospect for their consideration.

While the deal might be dead in terms of revenue there is a massive value a lost prospect can bring to the table. A sales person should ask every lost deal for feedback. By the time a deal is lost a sales rep has put a considerable amount of time into the prospect. Why not at least get something in return? A lost prospect is a wealth of knowledge which can be the secret to success. One can learn why the prospect didn’t go with the product or service and now the rep can learn how to avoid those obstacles going forward. Statistically, one losses more deals than they win. There is actually more feedback and knowledge in lost deals simply because there are more them.

Dead deals can push up daisies. Here are some examples:

1) Over Sold: A sales person may learn from the prospect they were too pushy and aggressive which made the prospect uncomfortable.  

2) Out Sold: A sales person may learn the rep at the competitor out sold them. Ask the prospect what the other rep did and ask for specifics.

3) No Desire: One may learn the prospect doesn’t want the product or service. It’s key to find out why the product or service didn’t make the prospect’s priority list. The rep can use the information going forward to help build desire and urgency.  

4) Competition: If the prospect decided to go with a competitor, this is a fabulous opportunity for a rep to learn what the competitor is saying about their product or service. Going forward a rep can use this to their advantage. If the rep finds out their next deal is looking at the same competitor, tell the prospect what that competition is going to say before they can. This discredits the competition and allows one to give accurate info.

5) Reputation: The prospect might have heard not-so-great reviews about the product or service. The prospect might have found the product or service had no reputation which can also be scary. Street cred is important to prospects. The rep can start incorporating more case studies and offer references going forward.

So how is it done? While a lost prospect has the keys to a reps future success, it can be difficult to access the information. First the conversation should never happen over email. There are too many reasons to list why this shouldn’t be done over email, however mainly because one is not likely to get a reply. Once the a rep has the contact on the phone, the contact is likely to feel this will be an attempt to handle objections. The rep should disarm the prospect by acknowledging they understand the deal is dead. It’s also important to be transparent with the prospect and set proper expectations. This is a phone call a rep should chase just as hard as the rest of their pipeline as it holds the secret to their impending attainment.  Here is a script that can be used:

“Bob, thank you for considering _______ (insert company name). I appreciate you’ve decided to go in a different direction. Since I’ve spent a great deal of time with you I’d like to learn from the experience. I’m going to ask for feedback as I find this is a great opportunity for me to improve. I will not be using this as an excuse to talk you out of your decision or handle objections. Would you be open to giving me feedback?”

Once the prospect has agreed, the rep’s questions can start from there. Do not punish the prospect for being honest. In other words, keep emotions out of it. Do not become defensive, combative or angry. One should also remember this is not a time to handle objections. The prospect agreed to provide feedback because they were told the rep would not try to handle their objections. The rep should not go back on their word.

If you don’t look for feedback, you’ll never improve. Keep doing the same thing you’ve been doing over and over. Maybe someday you’ll get a different result. In the meantime, the reps who embrace failure and seek feedback will send postcards from the achievers trip. 

Liking these tips? Follow @KADScrambledEgg on Twitter for wisdom on #sales and #salesmanagement.

Ever had a deal go down in flames at the final hour? It can happen to anyone in sales. Pricing negotiations can be a field of unmarked land mines that are easy to trigger for those who are unfamiliar with the territory. Here are some basic rules to help you trip every possible wire, make every price negotiation an explosive ground, and allow for any deal to go up in smoke. 

Without further ado, your step-by-step guide to bombing any price/contracts negotiation:

Land Mine 1 – “No Commander-in-Chief”: In order to trip the first wire, one should definitely negotiate with the person who can only say no, maybe or play operator. Negotiating with an influencer or champion instead of a decision maker (not the recommender - big difference) is a fabulous way to negotiate at a disadvantage.

How to Avoid Tripping This Wire: If a rep would prefer not to have the negotiations go up in smoke, work only with the person who can say yes. If the influencer wants to enter into negotiations the rep should avoid the conversation. While you don’t want to ignore their request, this is actually a great opportunity to get the Decision Maker involved. Here’s how a rep can avoid tripping this wire and use the situation to their advantage:

“I’d be glad to come up with customized packaging. However, I’m worried we’d be playing operator as I’m not authorized to offer anything exciting. It also sounds like you’d need to check with ______ (insert decision makers name here). Here’s an idea, I’ll grab my manager/director and you grab _________ and we can all schedule a time to talk further. This seems like the fastest way to get a customized package. What time works best with your schedules?”

The above technique allows a sales person to turn a potentially dangerous situation into an opportunity to engage and/or re-engage with power. First, disarm the prospect by acknowledging a willingness to do customized pricing however commit to nothing specific. When a sales rep offers to bring in their boss it serves as collateral for getting the prospect's decision maker. The influencer will feel as though the rep is being accommodating, which the rep is by offering someone of greater power on their end. The influencer is also given a compelling reason to take time out of their boss’ calendar.

Land Mine 2 – “The Cart Before The Horse”: It is best to negotiate prior to knowing if they have decided to go with the rep’s solution or if the prospect is still evaluating other vendors. Even better, negotiate prior to knowing if the prospect has already picked another vendor and are using the sales person as leverage to lower the other vendor’s price. Can you smell the smoke yet?

Elude Tripping This Wire: Only negotiate once there is confirmation the prospect has selected the rep’s product or service. Even if the rep is working with the decision maker do not move forward until they have made a decision. In order to do so, make the assumption the prospect has made decision when they ask for a discount or option. The prospect will have to correct the rep’s assumption. The prospect is lead to their own conclusion they are ahead of themselves.

“Great! We’re looking forward to having you on board. It sounds like you’ve made the decision to go with _______ (insert company name here)?”

The prospect will either say yes or they will have to correct the rep. The rep can then disarm the prospect by acknowledging they will negotiate but put them back in to an accurate timeline.  Here’s how:

“I’d be glad to discuss a customized package, however I don’t want to put the cart before the horse. Let’s first make sure _________(insert company name) is the solution that will take care of your issues/meet your goals”.

Land Mine 3 – “O’Dark Hundred”: Enter into a negotiation without knowing the timeline of the prospect. It’s best to work a deal and have no idea when the prospect is looking to sign up. It's safe for the rep to assume they can do their next pipeline review with smoke signals.

Smokey The Bear’s PSA: The rep should know when the prospect intends to become a customer. A prospect might be asking for options because they’re budgeting for their next fiscal year, which could be months away. In order to clarify timeline, the rep should first disarm the prospect by acknowledging they will address their request while offering no details and then ask for a timeframe. 

“I’d be glad to work on a customized package. It sounds like you’ve decided to go with _______ (insert company name).  When are you planning to finalize a contract?”

Land Mine 4 - “The Mail Carrier”: The best way to bomb a negotiation is to do so via email. It’s best to avoid doing important and time sensitive conversations over the phone or face to face. In order to blow a deal it’s best to lose control of the process, allow the prospect to disappear, let the prospect forward the email to a competitor, and/or let them try to sell the customized package internally. 

Alert! Detour! Bypass! Do not have important conversations via email. Let me repeat, DO NOT EMAIL. DO NOT EMAIL! If you haven’t already read the article why things should not be emailed, do so now. If the prospect disappears the rep will be left with heart palpitations desperately calling the prospect as if it were a bad breakup. Don’t be that rep. Here is the voicemail and email script a rep can use to eliminate negotiating via email:

Bob, per my message –

Thanks for the note. I’d be glad to discuss some customized options. We should discuss on the phone to make sure we cover all details.

Would 10:30EST or 3:00EST work with your schedule?

Best,
ME

I’d recommend avoiding negotiations over email 99.9% of the time. It is VERY rare a rep should resort to email. An example of the .01% of the time would be if the decision maker is on the wing of Captain Sully’s plane floating on The Hudson River with only access to email. If the prospect won’t get on the phone or meet to discuss options, this is an indication of the seriousness of the buyer. Seller beware.

Land Mine 5 – “Vegas Loves You”: It’s best to start offering whatever options one has available without knowing what the prospect might need. It’s best to let the prospect know all the options they can pick from or better yet pick ‘em all! Why not show the prospect all the cards in your hand? If this were a game of poker, the rep would be broke. Vegas baby.

Don’t Be the Oldest Hotel On the Strip Waiting for Implosion: He who says a number or option first loses. Always disarm the prospect by acknowledging you’ll work with them, but offer no details and instead turn the spotlight on them.

“I’d be glad to work on some options. What do you have in mind?”

Land Mine 6 – “The Freddie Krueger”: We’ve all watched the scary movie where the bad guy dies at the end. But we've also seen enough of these movies to know the bad guy always comes magically back to life when it's time for the sequel to come out. How frustrating is it to watch the movie, knowing the bad guy isn’t dead yet and noticing that, once again, blondie doesn’t check to make sure?! He’s behind you!! If you want to bomb your negotiations, proceed without caution and without confirming the first 5 land mines are in the clear. In other words, proceed without checking that the bad guy is actually dead.

Escape the Sequel: Don’t assume you’re on safe ground, yet. Confirm all 5 of the first land mines are cleared before continuing pursuit. Here are some options to confirm you’ve made it safely across the mine field and confirm the bad guy is dead:

“If I’m able to offer ______ (insert what they’ve asked for), what else stands in the way of finalizing the contract?”

“If I’m able to offer ______ (insert what they’ve asked for), when will you be signing the contract?”

“If I’m able to offer ______ (insert what they’ve asked for), would you be able to sign up today?”

By starting the sentence with “if”, the rep is not definitively committing to anything. However the rep has still disarmed the prospect by addressing what the prospect has asked for. The prospect should confirm there is nothing in the way and should willingly give a verbal commitment - a conclusive yes.

If the prospect won’t give a verbal commitment, the rep then needs to handle objections. The rep has earned the right to ask why as they are only offering what the prospect wanted and asked for. If the prospect won’t offer verbal commitment or clarification as to why, there are serious red flags with this buyer. Seller beware.

Bombs away! 

Don't Stay tuned! No Content For Monday's Commute! 

Steer the content of The Scrambled Egg by sharing articles via Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter on the top of each article. Content creation is based on the articles which get the most shares.

If you’d like to nominate topics or areas or sales/sales management you want discussed, contact me.